Assessing value can be one of the toughest challenges facing any business. Bring small business folks together for a conversation, and the topics of rates and handling negotiations routinely come up. Pricing is often in the eye of the buyer—budget, need, demand, and perceived value all come into play. And that’s before you, your credentials, and your “value-add” even walk in the door.

My latest Independent Thinking column is out, and it explores rates, scope, referrals, and the importance of choosing wisely:

For any business, the perception that you are for sale can be deadly. After endless holiday sales, retailers have trained us to wait for the “real” (discount) price to kick in. Is this the message you want to send to your clients and prospects?

While I’ve talked about some of this before, the column goes into a little more depth–including some good food for thought from Kristie Aylett and others on the topic of referrals. Read the column here.

Photo by antwerpenR (Flickr).